It's not nice to keep animals trapped inside of jars, but what if they were virtual animals, instead? This is the thinking behind Jarpet, an interactive 3D projection system that recently won a Red Dot design award.

Using Jarpet, children can visualize and interact with 3D projected pets that seem to appear and move inside a jar. The device, which can plug into a computer via USB, can display an assortment of downloadable virtual animals. Kids can use the system to not just observe animals, but to learn about their behaviors, life cycles, and habits.

Users can also interact with the animals through the use of multi-sensory technology.

Jarpet was designed by Zhang Di, Zhao Tianji, Ma Yinghui and Cui Minghui.